


Secret Ghost Lover

by Dirty_Corza



Series: Our World [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, M/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 16:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirty_Corza/pseuds/Dirty_Corza
Summary: When Ben died, he might have expected to haunt Klaus, but he never expected company.





	Secret Ghost Lover

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Just A Crop Top](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18997390) by [capyshota](https://archiveofourown.org/users/capyshota/pseuds/capyshota). 



It hadn't been a surprise to Ben, that his death took him to his brother's side. Klaus was the one he was closest to, and Ben would be lying if he said he didn't hope to haunt him, at least a little.

What had been a surprise was seeing another ghost at Klaus' side, a man maybe ten years their senior, who stayed out of sight until Klaus was asleep or passed out from drugs. At first, he didn't pay him much mind. After all, what was another ghost in the crowd, eager for his brother's attention? It took weeks for him to notice the differences between this ghost and the others.

First, like himself, this man was definitely haunting Klaus. Not his gravesite, not his killer- Ben knew the faces of every person he and his siblings had killed, and this man wasn't one of them. Second, this ghost didnt look desperate or angry, like the others that clamored for Klaus' attention when he was sober. He looked... resigned, sad, mournful. As if Klaus was the one on the other side of the grave. As if he was in love with Ben's brother, too. And the third difference Ben noticed? That this ghost of a man wasn't about to talk to Klaus, or Ben for that matter. Even though they shared the nighttime vigil watching Klaus when he couldn't watch himself- even though neither of them could do anything about it.

If he wasn't going to break the silence between them, though, Ben would just have to do it himself.

"So. You always only haunt Klaus when he's sleeping?" Ben asked, a few days after categorizing what made this ghost different.

"Excuse me?"

Ben looked up to meet the man's eye as he leaned against the filthy hostel wall. "I've been with Klaus for weeks, now, and you're never around when he can actually see you."

The man had the decency to flush, breaking eye contact to focus on Klaus, passed out on the cot between them. "I- I never meant to haunt him. I couldn't let myself be like the rest."

The answer had Ben frowning in thought, giving the man another critical look. "How long have you been haunting him, anyways?"

That had the ghost giving a chuckle, humorless and gentle. "Too long. Longer than I meant to."

"Why?" Ben hadn't meant to ask the question, hadn't meant to pry into this man's business, but the sad look on his face, the soft longing in his words- who could blame Ben for being curious?

It was enough to get the man to meet his eye again, a serious expression on his face. "I loved him. I- that's why you're here too, isn't it? Loving Klaus too much to want him to be alone."

"That's-" Ben paused the confusion clear on his face. "You loved him when? I've never seen you before, never heard about anyone like you, and Klaus- Klaus tells me everything."

The man just shook his head, giving Ben an apologetic shrug. "I don't know how to explain it. I just know... I loved him. And hadn't the faintest idea of what he could do."

"How on earth did you not know about The Seance?" Ben couldn't keep the disbelief from his voice. The Umbrella Academy had been many things, but reserved was not one of them.

That got him another chuckle from the ghost, this time with more amusement than melancholy in its undertones. "I didn't know about any of you, not really. I mean, I knew about you. Ben. You were the only one he ever mentioned by name, but family wasn't- we had other things on our mind than the domestic."

"He mentioned me?" Ben tried to cut the question off, but it bubbled up before he could stop it, accompanied by a flush in his cheeks when he realized why he cared. That's why you're here, too. Loving Klaus too much.

"He didn't say much, but it was clear he cared. That he missed you. He- he never called you his brother, though. Realizing his brother Ben was that Ben was... a revelation."

"Oh. That means you thought-"

"That you two were lovers?" The man gave a teasing smirk. "I wasn't too far off the mark with that, was I?"

Ben swallowed roughly. "You- you've seen us, when we were-"

"Not often. I try to stay away when he might see me. But, yes. I did see some of it."

A curl of familiar heat spread through Ben's gut at the revelation, a heat he hadn't realized he could feel while dead. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. But you can call me Dave- just not around Klaus, please."

"Dave." Ben tested out the name with a small nod. Klaus had definitely not talked about a Dave before. "Secret ghost lover I'm not supposed to bring up with Klaus. Got it."

\- - -

After that first conversation, Ben found himself talking to Dave often when Klaus wasn't awake to hear it. He still didn't know where he was from, how he knew Klaus, but he knew other things. Knew Dave understood trying to make the best out of shit situations, and feeling like a monster for doing things you wished you hadn't, and trusting someone to lead you in the right direction, only they didn't have your best interests at heart.

And he knew Dave understood the itch to be as close to Klaus as possible, even if they couldn't touch anymore, even if Klaus didn't listen to him, or look at him. When Ben was on the sidelines, watching Klaus trading blow jobs for pills, Dave understood qhat he was going through. 

And if they didn't just talk, well. He didn't think Klaus would blame them, either of them. Hell, he was the one person who might be able to understand We love you but can't touch you, so we touch each other instead. He might even get off on that, knowing Ben and Dave came together because of him. 

After all, it wasn't like either of them had moved on. No. They just took comfort in each other and the fact they both wanted Klaus so much they could feel it beyond the grave.

And then.

And then.

Then came the apocalypse and the briefcase and Klaus being gone for a day but also a year- a year where Ben couldn't follow, and when Klaus was back where Ben could see him he was more broken than ever before, a familiar name on his lips. That night was rough. So many years of not knowing how Dave knew Klaus, and now-

He wondered if this was how Dave felt, those first days after Ben had died, with Klaus sobbing his name into his pillow before sneaking out of the house to find any sort of relief for the pain. If it was, he didn't know how Dave had managed to hold back, to bite his tongue and not try and do something, anything, to pull Klaus from the self destructive streak. What he wanted most was to hold his brother close, tell him it was okay, Dave was waiting for him. But he wasn't allowed to do that. 

"You can't tell him I've been haunting him for years, Ben. You can't- I- he's already so broken. I can't tell him I was too afraid to tell him myself."

"He wouldn't blame you." Ben had pleaded, but Dave just shook his head.

"I'm not- I thought I'd be ready, when we found out the times had synced, when he remembered. But I'm not, Ben. I'm just... scared."

It wasn't that Ben blamed Dave. Not really. But there was still an anger that built up inside him, and seeing Klaus popping a handful of pills was a step too far. He couldn't tell you what prompted the punch, not really. It wasn't just the drugs or the grief or the jealousy he tried to ignore hearing Klaus whimper out Dave's name. It was some combination of all of them, and a hint of Klaus coursing through his veins like it hadn't in over a decade.

For just a moment, he saw Dave on the other side of Klaus, eyes wide as they both looked down at his brother. His brother who he had just managed to punch. Somehow. And then Dave was gone again, and Klaus had looked at Ben like he was hungry for him again. 

Later, when Klaus stayed up all night, trying desperately to sober up, to feel Ben again, he knew it wasn't only about him. He knew, and yet that seed of jealousy had melted away into something else. Klaus wanted Dave back. But he also wanted Ben back. And maybe, just maybe, it could happen for them both.

Later still, when he was buzzing with how much Klaus he could feel under his skin, he'd realize this was the first time any of his siblings -either of his lovers- had seen The Horror, and he'd panic for a moment that they still wouldn't want him.

The panic wouldn't last for long, though. Just long enough for Klaus to drag him away, to kiss him senseless, and for Dave to tentatively press up against him from behind, hands over Klaus' on Ben's hips. 

"Dave?" Ben could feel how tense Klaus was. He didn't need to keep his eyes open to know Klaus was wide eyed and hopeful as Dave pushed himself more firmly behind Ben. "You're-"

"I'm here," came Dave's reply, and the two of them were leaning over Ben's shoulder to kiss, holding him in between them as if letting go of him meant letting go of each other.

"Fuck-" Ben was breathless between them, thrown off by the way Dave's hands clutched at him even while Klaus' had moved from Ben's hips to Dave's. 'I'm just... scared' the words echoed in Ben's mind, a whispered confession from a man he knew loved Klaus- but had come to love him, too. Gently, he reached for Dave's hand, steadying the tremble as he lead him to Klaus' hip. 

Klaus' response was instant, a desperate crush of his hips, breaking the kiss with Dave to pant against his lips. "Please- please baby- I need-"

"We got you." Ben replied, leaning in to press his lips against Klaus' neck in a soft kiss. "We've got what you need, Klaus." 

"We'll take care of you," Dave murmured, leaning in to kiss Klaus again, with soft desperation Ben could feel in the way Dave was finally allowing himself to tug Klaus closer.

**Author's Note:**

> A huge shoutout to capyshota for encouraging this, and for the fic that set me thinking "what if Ben and Dave had been fucking as ghosts". I hope you enjoy, dear!


End file.
